SCIENCE FAIR August 17, 2008
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Science Fair.trackback
Although you still have a few more days of vacation, those of you in Honors Science classes this year might want to start thinking about your Science Fair project. Here are some ideas about how to get started. In the coming weeks, we will be posting more helpful ideas here on the blog as well as working with you through your Science classes.
There are many books of ideas on Science Fair projects that have been published. While it’s true that a majority are written for upper elementary students, they might help you find some starting points. If you’re feeling motivated, you can go to your local public library this week and take a look at their collections. We will also be pulling a number of books from the Res Library collection this week so they’ll be ready for you to browse when you start school next week. Stop by the library to take a look at what’s available.
It’s a good idea to come up with a couple of topic options for yourself. Then do some background reading on each of the topics to help you determine what’s most interesting to you and what would be a valid Science Fair topic. Talk with your teachers early on in your project to make sure your idea is doable. A good source for background material is the EBSCO Science Reference Center, one of Res’ subscription databases. You will need the Res Username and Password from the blue sheets available in the Library in order to access this database. (If you happened to put your blue sheet from last year in your Res scrapbook — you do have a Res scrapbook, don’t you? — that username and password will still work. If you are a freshman, stop by the Res library on Thursday or Friday and we’ll be happy to give you the information.)
Two good websites for ideas are the Illinois Junior Academy of Science homepage (scroll down along the left-side menu and take a look at the Best in Category Abstracts) and the California State Science Fair Project Listings. For both sites, the “Senior” division is for high school students.
Although it is probably geared more for elementary school students, a good basic introduction to Science Fair is the Internet Public Library’s Science Fair Project Resource Guide. The “Tools and Research” tab takes you to a number of links to other helpful sites.
Hopefully these resources will get you started! We plan to offer some mini-lessons in the library on specific topics related to your Science Fair Project research, including using our subscription databases and creating a bibliography. Listen to daily Announcements or check this blog for topics and times. And always remember that Mrs. Roy, Mrs. Johann, and I are available to help you locate books, articles, and web resources for your Project. Don’t hesitate to stop by and talk things over.
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